I was reading an affirmation that said, “I have plenty.” That phrase made me smile as I thought about the truth of it. I looked around at the beautiful objects in my living room like the water painting by a local artist, an angel given to me by a friend, and flowers. I saw photos Read More

Guest Post from Hazel Garcia Most of us know what we like and don’t like. Shiny new iPad? Like. Big tax bill? Don’t like. Trip to Hawaii? Heck yes! Commute to work? Ughhh. Seems simple enough right? We don’t really need science to tell us what we like and don’t like. But out of those Read More

Most people live paycheck to paycheck, barely saving or having much in their retirement account. We buy too much, save too little and go into debt for more stuff. We need a different mind set. We need to work hard, contribute and act responsibly. In Fred Seigel’s book, “The Richest Man in Babylon for Today“, Read More

I ran across an article in Real Simple magazine for March on Mindful shopping. It talked about impulse buying and the hit of good mood at the time of purchase. Almost all of us have gone to the store for a few things and ended up with a basket full. Plus once you are already Read More

I was at a toy store looking for gifts for my niece’s birthday. I started to get appalled by how they are programming the kids to buy from an early age. There were tons of “shopping” kits. One product group is called “Shopkins” for pre-schoolers. I grew up with a toolkit that was just play Read More

May is the time of year I look to take a close look at my spending. We usually want to go camping at least once, see plays at Hope Summer Rep Theater, and there are always weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We also want to save for our summer vacation – though this Read More

Living within your means is a great way to simplify your life. We will be talking more about that in the Simplify Your Money Systems class. At the same time creating so little income that you can’t meet your needs is a way to complicate your life. It is not more spiritual to be poor. Read More

May is the time of year I look to take a close look at my spending. We usually want to go camping at least once, see plays at Hope Summer Rep Theater, and there are always weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We also want to save for our summer vacation to the Smoky Read More

We all want to spend less than we take in. To be fiscally responsible. Part of the way to do this is by being frugal. Here are a few ideas: Notice how much food you have wasted during the week. Buy less the next week until you know how much fresh food you actually use. Read More

The beginning of the year is a great time to check in with your finances. Do you have any late bills? How much savings do you have? Do you have automatic saving set up with your bank? Are you on track with your retirement? How much debt do you have? What are your monthly bills? Read More